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Erik paced and paced, but he knew he couldn’t let Sigrid leave like this. What his father had done was wrong, but it was all in the past. He and Sigrid had started to build a future together...at least, that’s what he had intended for them both, he just hadn’t had a chance to tell her. Perhaps if he could just find her and talk to her then he could make her see that what happened in the past wasn’t as important as what could happen in the future. He was yet to talk with Ragnar about things as well. He knew his father well enough to understand the weight that it must have placed upon his heart. Ragnar had always raised Erik and Egon to hold themselves to high standards. Sometimes Erik thought they were impossible standards, but he realized now that Ragnar wanted them to be better than himself. In his youth, he had made mistakes, and because of that, Sigrid was suffering.

Erik wasn’t going to let her suffer alone, not without telling her that he loved her.

He stormed away from the guards and followed a trail that led away from the village. There were tracks that led to the forest and also the sound of men. Erik followed them, skulking behind them, and he saw them capture Sigrid. It took everything he had not to cry out and rescue her, but he was just one man, and there was no use in him taking on twenty people because he would only be captured again and would not be able to help Sigrid. They walked off toward the beach while Erik sprinted back to the village. He raised the alarm, noticing quickly that Ivar’s men had gone.

“They’ve got her! They’re going to take her away. We have to leave now and stop them!” Erik cried out. Ragnar came out, standing alone. He had a grave look on his face and couldn’t meet Erik’s eyes.

Erik walked up to him.

“Father, we must help her. We must stop this.”

Ragnar nodded. “We will. I am sorry, my son. I have shamed you. All my life, I have tried to teach you certain things, and now you know that I am a fraud. I have not been a man you can be proud of.”

“Father, you are the bravest, strongest man I have ever known. You made a mistake so many years ago. You’re not a fraud. But what you did sent Sigrid down a path of sorrow, and I don’t know if there’s any rescuing her from that, but I want to try.”

“She means a lot to you, doesn’t she?” Ragnar said.

“She means everything to me, Father,” Erik said.

Ragnar placed a strong hand on his shoulder and nodded. He bellowed for the men to form again and go into war. “This time, the Hoffstads shall fight side by side. I will do everything I can to win her back for you. Erik. It’s the least I can do,” he said, and disappeared back into his house.

Erik went to fetch his weapons and gather Egon. He found Sigrid’s wooden sword that she had left in her haste. He ran his fingers up and down the wooden blade. It was as blunt as her attitude, but it was strong as well. He had never understood why this sword meant that much to her, but he was determined to bring it back to her, no matter what it took. He had his own sword as well and walked out to find other Vikings and Highlanders banding together. Ragnar was there as well, dressed in his old armor. He stood with Ailis, clasping her hands and kissing her. She was close to tears, but she held them back for Ragnar’s sake. Her husband and two sons were going into battle. It can’t have been an easy thing for a mother to endure.

Ragnar, Egon, and Erik led the army away from the village and down to the sloping shore. There they saw the Bjork clan getting ready to depart. They shouted and they yelled and they stormed across the beach, kicking up sand as they did so. Some of them were fighting for honor, some of them were fighting for the glory of the gods, but Erik was fighting for the woman he loved, and that was the strongest motivation of all.

Sigrid had once again been captured. She was sullen as she sat on the boat with her hands tied behind her back and her feet bound together. She was sitting on a bench and had a view out the window of the beach. Beside her was Astrid, who was also held captive.

“I am sorry for all of this, Astrid. I never meant for any of this to happen,” Sigrid said. She was angry at herself for being caught, but at the present moment, she was too exhausted to be angry. The emotion had been drained away from her, and she couldn’t bring herself to feel again. After she had been captured, everything seemed to vanish. If there were gods, then they had cursed her, and she was convinced that there was no way she could ever escape this misery.

“I know, Sigrid. We were all afraid when you left. Father was angry once he discovered you had gone with the prisoner. He swore to the gods that he would find you again. Kari tried to convince him otherwise, but he wouldn’t listen. I’ve never seen him like this. He told me that we were coming over here to find you. He said that you had been captured and we needed to rescue you, but I didn’t believe him. I didn’t think he was going to kill me, though.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through this, Astrid.” Sigrid closed her eyes and leaned her head against the hull of the ship. “I wish this had never happened. I wish there was a way I could change this.”

“We’ll be home soon,” Astrid said. “What do you think Father is going to do to you?”

“It seems as though I’m going to be married off,” Sigrid said. She could hear the Vikings working quickly to try and get the ship away. Soon enough, she would feel the swell of the waves and would be on her way back to Norway. Would Erik bother to look for her again after she had turned him away? She didn’t expect it. It would have been better for him if he just remained here where it was safe, where he didn’t have to worry about Ivar ever again.

But then she heard a commotion from outside. She looked out of the porthole and saw Ragnar’s men streaming down the slope, yelling viciously and with great fury, and then she saw Erik. He brandished his sword and charged down with his brother, fury etched upon his face. Sigrid’s heart leaped at the sight of him, even though she didn’t feel deserving of his love. But at least it was a chance.

The Vikings stopped trying to prepare the boat for sailing and turned their attention to the onrushing army. Swords and axes were raised, and what was left of Ivar’s men charged into battle. They fought viciously, trying to meet Ragnar’s men before they had a chance to spread out across the beach. Sigrid watched steel meet steel in this bloody mess, and her eyes drifted to Ragnar. He looked terrible in his armor, and when he swung his sword, sand was sprayed away. She winced as she realized that he must have fought her father like this, and she shed a tear for what had passed. Then she looked for Erik and saw him cutting his way through the men. He and Egon were making a straight line toward the ship, seemingly trying to outdo each other with how much damage they dealt to the enemy. In the midst of battle, she lost sight of Ivar, wondering if her “father” would actually take part in the battle or if he would slink away and hide to ensure his survival for another day.

Erik grit his teeth and clenched the sword in his hands. The world was a blur of fury and anger as he slashed his sword and kicked his way through Ivar’s men. Egon was by his side, and the two brothers were fighting together. They were like a tornado, crashing through the enemy and making their way to the ship. Erik ran as quickly as he could. He and Egon ducked and dived and defended each other from stray swipes of swords that were swung in their direction. His muscles sang with fury as he made his way to the woman he loved. They fought through the ship as he called out to her. Straining his ears, he heard a faint cry in reply. He and Egon managed to get to where she and Astrid were being held. Erik plunged his sword into the guard’s heart, and he fell through the door, landing in a heap. Erik withdrew his sword and looked at Sigrid.

“Do you still want me to leave you alone?” he asked.

Sigrid shook her head. He quickly cut away her ropes while directing Egon to do the same to Astrid. Erik gripped Sigrid’s hand and led her back through the ship. Most of the warriors were on the beach, but there was the occasional man that Erik and Egon had to fight. It had been madness for Ivar to fight like this, though. He lacked the numbers, but Erik assumed he would have bet on himself to sail away before the Hoffstads would have been able to retaliate, and once at sea, the advantage would be with Ivar. But Ivar hadn’t counted on Erik going to find Sigrid.

Erik planned to take Sigrid back to the village, but as they ran through the battlefield, they saw the Bjork clan retreat back to the ship.

“Go!” Ragnar yelled. He was in the full fury of battle. Blood spattered his armor, and he panted with heavy breaths. He was fighting Haldor, who was retreating back toward the ship, while the other members of the Bjork clan decided that it was better to survive than die in a glorious battle. Erik smiled with triumph, but then a shadow flickered behind his father, and a sword flashed. It was Ivar, coming behind him, sliding a sword into Ragnar’s back. The point plunged through and came out, breaking through the hollow of his throat. Ragnar looked in shock. His sword dropped to the beach, and then the man followed, sinking to his knees. A stream of scarlet poured from his mouth before he fell forward, sinking face-first into the sand.

When Erik screamed, it seemed as though it was coming from somewhere else, somewhere far away and distant. Even though he saw his father die, it didn’t seem quite real. He expected Ragnar to get up again, for he was a mighty warrior, but even mighty warriors fell.

Ivar pulled out the sword and cackled as Haldor pulled him away, and they ran for the ship. Erik roared, but Sigrid was already pulling him away, and Erik was too stunned to fight against her.